December 1, 2023
ELKINS-The Kump Education Center, Elkins, will be hosting a Human Rights Day Celebration Sunday, December 10 at 3 p.m. in the historic Kump House. The event marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and will feature local Eleanor Roosevelt re-enactor Becky Ashburn who will interpret the significance of the UDHR.
From 1946 to 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt took the lead as chairperson of a United Nations committee to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [UDHR]. Seventy-five years later, this document is still used as the definition of fair treatment for all people around the world when they may be mistreated as prisoners, refugees, or in any other compromising situation when the UN seeks to mitigate suffering.
“Mrs. Roosevelt was the most distinguished guest who visited the Kump House in the 1930s, and we are delighted to have her ‘return’ for this celebration,” said Kump Education Director Heather Biola. “Becky has been studying the life and work of Eleanor Roosevelt and will allow us to learn more about the personal history and philosophy of the woman who collaborated with other women to shape this UN document.”
“The event will help us understand that the principles of basic human rights and equality were inherent in everything the real Eleanor Roosevelt said and did,” Biola explained. “The Homestead housing project in Randolph County, West Virginia was one of her favorite New Deal initiatives. She liked the fact that the people in this area were willing to work and overcome their own disadvantages and earn their new homes.”
The UDHR is considered one of the most important works of the American Century and was inspired to bring human dignity to the thousands of people all over the world who were displaced after World War II.
“If there was ever a moment to revitalize the hope of human rights for every person, it is now,” explains Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We have more in common than we think. And if we hark back to our origins – and look forward to what the world could be in the future – we can see that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights not only voices ancient wisdoms from all cultures but will ensure our survival.”
“We want the world to remember that it’s not just a historical document,” he said, “but a living testament to our shared humanity —a timeless guide.”
The Kump Education Center event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The Kump House is located at 401 Randolph Ave., Elkins (across from Kroger) with parking access in the rear accessible by Seneca Road. For more information about the KEC, visit kumpeducationcenter.org, email kumpec@gmail.com, or the Kump Education Center FB page.
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